Month: October 2015

Got Halloween fever? Are you making The Last Witch Hunter your first stop in celebration of all things spooky? Might a bit of Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension take you to a whole other dimension of fear? Will the thrills and chills invading your body as well as the Big Screen leave indelible Goosebumps? Perhaps our friends running the show within Hotel Transylvania 2 will hold the biggest Halloween party this weekend. Always up for a party, The Martian, smart enough to make it in space, still seems above it all, refusing to come down to earth. A Bridge of Spies, meanwhile, remained firmly in place, ready to link audiences with their favorite films.

A celebratory feast awaits our eclectic cast, courtesy of everyone’s favorite chef Bradley Cooper, who’s hoping his latest delicacy won’t leave his fans Burnt out on his many charms. For those not interest in culinary delights, maybe the hot combination of Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton in the political dramedy Our Brand is Crisis will create a sizzling catastrophe for their scary smart competition.

Which of our scary smart stories will lure you away from trick-or-treating this weekend?

Despite a slew of new “neighbors” entering our movie world, The Martian, in his fourth weekend in space, drew the largest universal audience at movie theaters this weekend, coming down to earth to the biggest round of applause. A standing cinematic ovation resulted in Goosebumps sharing some spooky scares with the PG-friendly crowds while creatively constructing a Bridge of Spies (of sorts) to connect Halloween lovers to Hanks fans. Vin Diesel fans were the first in line to witness The Last Witch Hunter bring a centuries’ old battle to our modern movie times. Times remained colorful for the guests at Hotel Transylvania 2, who still found their centuries’ old host entertaining.

Which of our entertaining tales stood the test of time for you this weekend?

Life has certainly been scary in the land of movies lately, as audiences experienced Goosebumps courtesy of some PG-rated ghosts and goblins in honor of Halloween, while a peak at the bride, groom and creepy crew contained in CrimsonPeak offered a more adult version of the horrors experienced during “All Hallows’ Evening. Will this weekend be just as scary? The Martian, not one to scare easily, continues to orbit the cinematic globe, scoping out all life forms. That high-flying Pan, meanwhile, has yet to come down to earth (probably because he fears what’s waiting there for him). Hotel Transylvania 2 remains an appropriate place to visit other forms of life for those whose feet are planted firmly on the ground.

Amidst all this extraterrestrial action, more spirits of the sinister variety will soon enter the playing field, as the Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension promises to scare the bejesus outta its poltergeist-seeking spectators. Last but not least in the creepy department, we have The Last Witch Hunter. Will he be coming in first with moviegoers?

Fortunately, our movie world has a story to fit every type. For Type A personalities, there’s worker bee Steve Jobs. Prefer Hanks over horror, Cold War antics as opposed to the cold, living dead? Bridge of Spies is sure to connect once again with its political crowd (while making the Award Season rounds). Then there’s those musical geniuses, Jem and the Holograms, who will soon go head-to-head with an earth-bound Bill Murray, who, along with his own musical protégé, is prepped to Rock the Kasbah. Will all of their efforts be rewarded?

Goosebumps introduced things that go bump in the night to the biggest, family-friendly audience this weekend, as resident space invader The Martian took one (somewhat) giant step down for movie mankind to make room for that beloved based-on-a-book series, but still found time to meet and greet the alienated movie masses. The politically minded crossed over onto the Bridge of Spies, building a diplomatic connection with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and company. Horror lovers took in the not-so-subtle sights at Crimson Peak, getting the ultimate, freaky eyeful. Hotel Transylvania 2 remained a cool but creepy place to visit for freaks and friendly folks alike.

The future looked bright in our colorful movie community, as politics made for strange bedfellows, horror gave us a good fright, aliens continued to follow that most successful, celestial light while the residents of a Halloween-inspired inn headed gently into that good night!

Which of our tales provided the best storytelling night for you this weekend?

Will the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks Bridge of Spies bridge the gap between political thrillers and just-plain thrilling entertainment? With Halloween on the horizon, can we expect R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps to produce, well, goose bumps on its family-adventure seeking audience? Maybe The Martian, never one to shy away from thrills and chills, will feel more at home among those book-inspired, PG-rated scary creatures, who are sure to make fast friends with the inhabitants of that successful Hotel Transylvania 2. The folks taking The Walk to a higher cinematic terrain have discovered a bit of success in the skies. How high can they fly? The Intern has found a fashionable brand of success in his second career. How long until his box-office retirement? Far too young to retire, Pan is continually searching for new ways to charm his loyal following. Can he continue to make that lofty leap into a whole new generation of believers? Leaping into R-rated territory, Sicario is sincerely scary, ready to take down any nefarious characters in their law-abiding path. Also for mature scare seekers, Crimson Peak promises to take audiences to its own brand of colorful lands, filled with mystery and dramatic ghosts of the past. Can it reach the top of the drama-filled box office?

Last week’s champion, The Martian, remained at the top of the box office charts this weekend, offering a dose of other-worldly entertainment to the cinematic natives, who appeared friendly. The friendly but slightly freaky folks running Hotel Transylvania 2 continued to roll out the red, Halloween-inspired carpet weeks before the spookiest holiday arrives, welcoming their own extraterrestrial guests. Eternally young Peter Pan was on an emotional high, witnessing a bit of magic at the movies (while maintaining the mystery of why he never ages), finding his audience slowly growing through movie generations. The Intern kept his feet on the ground, working hard for the (fashion) man. The tough Sicario crew was working hard to rid our movie towns of all illegal substances while our cast of crazy characters provided more fun and adventure than the storytelling law allows.

The space invader finally landed just as Peter Pan (once again) took flight, our animated guests continued to enjoy the accommodations, the intern remained fashionable while the drug busters were driving the action.

Ready to bypass the pumpkin patch on The Walk to your neighborhood movie theater, where our colorful autumnal delights promise to rival summer’s high-octane tales? Forever young Pete Pan is back in hero mode, flying over magical Neverland (and hopefully casting his own, modern-day spell over moviegoers). Caught up in their own spell, the freaky inhabitants of Hotel Transylvania 2 promise to scare with care while The Martian, feeling like a bit of an outcast due to the new crop of characters, works hard to get out of his extraterrestrial exile (and keep his out-of-this-world box-office returns). The Intern, meanwhile, is working hard at promoting fashion over fairy tales, age over animation. Steve Jobs certainly knew how to get the job done. Will his biopic bring audiences into theaters? Our youthful Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials has been living a fast-running, fabled existence, basking in that maze-filled, make-believe universe. The world is a far less romantic place for the Sicario crew, however, who spend their time banishing drug dealers as opposed to building dreams.

Happily, each of our October offerings possess their own cinematic dreams come true, requiring a short walk to the local multiplex!